Tuesday, 8 February 2011

Create yeh?

So I got thinking about creativity, and what it means to be creative.

In a message I received recently, the writer was explaining how a burst of creativity had forced its way out of them in the middle of the night for just 5 minutes. They describe themselves as 'uncreative' generally but the product of their sudden inspiration was an incredibly poignant and beautiful poem that really struck a chord with me. The writer was a close friend of my recently passed sister, and was experiencing intense pain at the time.

This is what I'm talking about people.

Creativity is found in pain, sorrow and darkness. Yes, we can frolic around the meadows and sing about flowers if we like. A lot of what we hear on the radio is just that. It is happy and comfortable; feel-good. And that's ok. We need this kind of music too. And I expect if we ask some of those artists on the radio, they would say that singing makes them happy. And that can only be a good thing.

However, for the creator, their creation is their outlet. It is not only an imprint of themselves, but also of their experiences. And these can be painful experiences, horrific even. When we release that kind of pain for other people to witness and take part in, it makes us incredibly vulnerable and at further risk to hurt. But at the same time, it can be something beautiful. When I write, I want to put the experience into the song, fill it with my emotion, and then send it out.

This opens the box.

Yes I am now vulnerable to criticism and abuse, but I have also opened myself up to encouragement, support, love and appreciation. These are the things that heal. We can put our pain into a song, or a poem, or a piece of art, or anything! And we can say, yes I was in pain, I was vulnerable, and you can see it there in my creation, and you can judge and ridicule it as much as you like, but I have mastered it.

So people, whether you are creative or not, whether you have experienced heartbreak or grief or sorrow or anger or pain, don't be scared of the paper. Write, compose, draw, find a song or a poem or piece of art that really speaks to you and take time to feel what you're feeling. I cannot master my pain if I hide it from myself and pretend it's ok, because it's not ok. I have discovered that pain is not something we can just 'get over'. We have to master it. I find creation, in any form, an excellent way to do this.

This is great! I am excited to see, read, hear, feel, and participate. I have been seeking a way to bring motivationally challenged artists together for a MUSE session. Artists are muses to one another. Want to come back to Boston and help me set up a MUSE meetings? So much love Anna!Remember without a breakdown you can't experience a breakthrough.xoxo~Isabelle